Bustown Modern – Los Angeles

8166 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90046
PH:(323) 951-0290
WEBSITE
HOURS: Tuesday- Saturday 11am-6pm PST or BY APPOINTMENT

Bustown Modern is the brainchild of husband + wife team Anessa Woods and Paul Fogt, who share a mutual love of vintage and antiques. Their concept began when they realized that they were passing up items that they didn’t “need,” whereas other people would want them. They then started buying and selling on eBay and rented a space at a local antique mall. After seeing positive results and their business and the quality of merchandise grow, they strayed away from eBay and ventured on to open up a web store. It wasn’t until January 2014, that they packed up, moved across the country and opened their brick-n-mortar on Melrose Ave.

The little Melrose shop is truly a gem and great addition to the area. It has a modern feel, yet houses treasures that are rare, unique and just…oh-so-exquisite on a historic level. When asked about a great piece of clothing that has been found to date, Paul responds, “We have lots of favorites. Some are in our closets. Some are long sold. Every piece has a story, whether it’s the brilliance of the piece itself or just the memory of how we came across it. Anything haute couture is always great because it’s so special. There were only a finite number made and that piece you’re holding is the only one exactly like it ever – it was handmade for someone to their exact specs. We’ve also had a lot of unique pieces that are just so unique or really rare and you feel privileged to have gotten to see, feel and photograph them.”

They offer a little something for everyone, both style-wise and price. Prices range from $50 for the cutest little Paloma Picasso coin purse (everrrr) to $5,000. As Paul states, “A lot of high-end shops get hung up on designer labels only. Yes, we have tons of designer things but we don’t necessarily have them because they’re designer. We buy by the piece, for the piece. Whether it’s designer or not, we look more at design, quality, construction, rarity and how the piece fits into current and future trends. Anessa has an incredible eye and it really resonates with people. We try to offer a very curated collection and when people come in the store or look at our website, we think it really shows.”

I had such a amazing time checking out their curated collection of clothing, accessories and jewelry. This is one of the very few shops in Los Angeles that you can actually touch and feel a Sant’ Angelo, Galanos, Cardin or Halston. This part of Melrose is definitely my little piece of vintage heaven.